UNH’s Spears makes the most of it

Harold Spears didn’t have a ton of catches or an amazing amount of receiving yards on Saturday, but he made the most of what he had. The first two receptions for the University of New Hampshire tight end were touchdowns, helping the Wildcats jump to a 16-0 lead that turned into a 53-23 win over visiting Colgate, and earning Spears the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) National Tight End Performer of the Week honors.

Spears finished the game with five catches for 38 yards, and he also caught a two-point conversion pass after his second touchdown.

“That’s always big in our offense. Coach is always talking about a fast start,” Spears said after the game. “It doesn’t really matter who scores or how we score, as long as we jump up on ‘em early.”

The 6-foot-4, 252-pound junior from Perkaskie, Pa. also got in the positive habit of maximizing his receptions last year. He finished the season with a modest 20 catches, but gained 305 receiving yards, which was third on the team and good for a 15.2 yards per catch average, second best on the team. That production earned Spears All-CAA Third Team and College Sports Madness All-CAA Second Team recognition last season, and got him named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Second Team this year.

The No. 12/9 Wildcats have a bye-week this weekend before heading to Spears’s home state for a Sept. 28 game against No. 22/19 Lehigh University.